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Prunella Sees The Light
2019 May 29 1999 VHS # 2019 May 29 # D.W. Thinks Big # The Wonder Pets Save the Honey Bears # Revenge of the Chip # What Ever Happened to Spongebob We're opening with a fantasy sequence. Prunella's talking in her "mystical psychic" voice. She's narrating Buster's actions in this fantasy sequence. She sees him in a long hallway. She says that he's walking down it and he's afraid of something. A rat scurries out of a crevice in the hallway. Prunella continues that suddenly Buster comes to a door and he opens it. We see the students of Mr. Ratburn's class floating in space. Numbers float by. Prunella says that they're taking a test and they look unhappy. Buster: There's a big math test on Friday. Prunella: Yes, math! I see numbers, lots of numbers. Mr. Ratburn appears and hands Buster a paper with "TEST" written at the top in fancy serif lettering. It's a math test and it features some pretty complicated problems. Calculus problems. Prunella: The numbers seem to leap off the page! And then... The fantasy sequence ends and the scene zooms out to Prunella's pink crystal ball. Buster wants to know if he fails. Prunella: The future is unclear. Madame Prunella is weary. Madame Prunella needs candy to revive her psychic powers. So now Prunella's doing her psychic schtick in order to get candy? Sheesh. Prunella's now a fortune-teller for hire -- Buster shakes a single piece of candy into her hand. Prunella: (annoyed, no longer even attempting her "mystical psychic" voice) That's it?! Madame Prunella is going to need a little more than that.Buster says that it was a long walk over. Oh well, no matter. Prunella remembers that there are leftover brownies in the kitchen. Buster wonders if she saw that in her crystal ball. As they walk downstairs, the fantasy sequence music plays. A vision appears inside her crystal ball. Marina: (to Prunella) Prunella, you're driving me crazy! ---- ---- We open with a scene of Henry Skreever (who, for those who didn't see #60301 - "Prunella's Special Edition" is Arthur's parody of Harry Potter ) up against a brick wall. He grabs onto a golden brick with lettering in an ancient hieroglyphics language on it. Henry: There it is! The Brick of Wonders! He just reaches the brick, when suddenly a voice booms out, causing him to fall. Henry: That voice, it's... Mysterious Voice: Yes, Lord Moldywort! For those that haven't read the Harry Potter '' books, or aren't watching the movies, the main villain in the series is an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. Most of the characters in the series are afraid to even say his name. The voice asks him if he's afraid and warns him that if he's not, he should be. Henry continues to fall as the picture zooms out and a caption appears on it in gold letters: "The Brick of Wonders." We see that Prunella and Marina are watching this on television. Marina is the blind rabbit-girl who was introduced in #60301 - "Prunella's Special Edition". To recap quickly, she and Prunella became friends after she helped Prunella read a Henry Skreever book that Prunella accidentally received a braille copy of. That episode proved to be very popular. It won the Vernon Henley award from the Amercian Council of the Blind and was voted #1 (along with ''#60302 - "The Secret Life of Dogs and Babies") in the Arthur "Votearama" marathon. As such, they decided to do this here follow-up episode. An announcer says that The Brick of Wonders opens Friday in theaters everywhere. Marina and Prunella both squeal. Marina says that they should read all five books again, cover to cover. Prunella says there's no way she can read that fast, as the movie opens in four days. Marina agrees, saying that she would get blisters if she actually tried it. Prunella gets an idea, but then says that she can't tell Marina because it's a surprise. Marina tries to get her to tell, saying she'll use the "Tickling Claw" on her. Prunella swears by the "Wheel of Edam" that she'll never confess. She's using her "Hex of Protection." Marina starts tickling her. Marina: Hey, you uncrossed your arms. The hex doesn't work. They keep going, but Marina can't get Prunella to tell. * * * The Brick of Wonder slides across as a scene-changer. * * * Prunella's at a bedding store now. Buster's there. He's still hounding her about the test, wanting the inside scoop. Buster: (whose face is covered in chocolate) Here, I brought you a box of Buster Clusters. I made them myself. Prunella: Yuck. I heard about those. They turn your tongue black and give you a rash. She asks Buster if he's seen pink-striped bedsheets anywhere. Buster hasn't and wants to know. Prunella explains that she's turning her bedroom into the "Castle of Yutz" from Henry Skreever and the Potage of Villany. We see from the cover of the book that it's spelled "Villany" and not "Villainy" a little later on. At first I thought this was a misspelling, but apparently it's just an archaic spelling of the word. Prunella reminds Buster that the Castle of Yutz has pink and white walls. She wants everything to be perfect for her sleepover with Marina. Buster: Marina, she's your friend who's blind, right? Prunella: Uh-huh. Buster: So why do they have to be pink and white? She can't see them. Prunella says that it just has to be, that's why. Buster sticks out his tongue at her. It's black. He chases after her. Prunella's decorating her room now. She picks up her copy of Henry Skreever III and the Potage of Villany. (That's how it's written, not Book 3: Henry Skreever and the Potage of Villany, or some other form that would make more sense.) She checks the picture inside to see how it compares with her room. It's a nice, color photo. The Harry Potter '' ''books ''don't have pictures of any sort anywhere other than the cover, just text. But then, Prunella did get a special edition -- maybe there's a special edition of the Harry Potter books that does have illustrations? Prunella decides that the room is almost where she wants it. She goes to bed, saying that she can't wait to see Marina's expression when she sees what she's done. ---- ''Dream sequence. Prunella shows Marina what she's done with the room. Marina: What? What's so special? 'Prunella: It's an exact replica of Persephone's room in the "Castle of Yutz". Marina feels the bedsheets and complains that it's not an ''exact replica: the walls in the "Castle of Yutz" were velvet. Prunella explains that she couldn't afford velvet, but notes that they do have lovely pink stripes. Marina retorts snidely that she can't see them. Prunella asks if she wants to play cards with her Henry Skreever deck.'' Marina: Hello, how can I play cards when I can't see them? Did you invite me over to your house just to insult me? (''She lobs her walking stick at Prunella.)' 'Prunella: Ow!' ''Marina: That's it, I'm going home. Prunella asks her to wait. Marina asks why... so she can say something else mean and offensive? Then she uses a magic wand to change Prunella into a giraffe. Prunella wakes up and gasps. Decorating her room is was nott a good idea! It's a bad idea -- it could offend Marina. Prunella starts taking things down. It's the next day, at the Sugar Bowl. Outside, a rabbit-person walks a spotted dog. Inside, Muffy sips a strawberry milkshake. She's talking with Prunella, who's sitting across from her, dejectedly stirring her straw in her full milkshake. Prunella: So what do I do? I've been looking forward to this sleepover for days. Muffy: What's the big deal? Just get your room redone so it's safe for Marina. You know, put in a ramp, that sort of thing. Prunella shoots back, quite rightly, that Marina's blind, not in a wheelchair. Also, she can't afford to have her room redone. Muffy says that there's still some things that could be done on a modest budget. She hands Prunella some napkins and has her start writing. Since when did Muffy become a remodeling expert? * The napkins, which read "Muffy's suggestions for room" and have diagrams on them, fall down as a scene-changer. * * * Napkins seem to be the stationary of choice this season -- Brain used 'em too in Elwood City Turns 100!. Prunella's putting Muffy's remodeling suggestions into action. She rolls up her carpet, puts away her games, installs a string leading to her bathroom and does a few other bits of remodeling. It's no longer as fun as it would have been the other way, but it's safe. Prunella: It's perfect... I guess. Rubella comes in and trips over the string. She asks what it's doing there. Prunella explains that Marina is going to be sleeping over and she put the string there so she can find the bathroom. Rubella says that she's not going to need string to find the bathroom and suggests that she just ask Marina if there's anything special that she needs. Prunella tells her it's supposed to be a surprise and that she swore on the "Wheel of Edam" that she wouldn't tell. Rubella asks her what's more important: having a good time with her friend, or a swear on a piece of cheese? Prunella sighs. * * * Henry Skreever slides across the screen. * * * Prunella's walking down the sidewalk, trying to think of ways to start her conversation with Marina. She tries one out: Prunella: Marina, I was just wondering, because you're visually-challenged... She decides that sounds awful. Just then, Marina runs up to the other end of the fence that Prunella is walking by. Apparently she overheard Prunella. (But didn't catch just what it was she was saying, apparently.) She's wearing a Mighty Mountain soccer outfit. So Marina attends Mighty Mountain? Intriguing. I wonder if she and Prunella attended any classes together when the students of Lakewood had to go to school at Mighty Mountain for a while in "April 9th" Prunella says that she didn't know Marina could play soccer. Marina explains that there's a beeper in the ball so she knows where it is. Prunella starts to play with her, saying that she wants to tell her about something. Marina: Me too. Do you want to sleep over at my house the night before the movie opens? Prunella quickly agrees and breathes a sigh of relief. That was way too easy. Stay tuned... Marina asks Prunella what it was she wanted to tell her. Prunella quickly answers that it was that ...she doesn't eat eggplant... and says that she'll see her tomorrow. Marina gets a funny look on her face, but decides to ignore it and goes back to her soccer game. * * * It's the day of the sleepover. Prunella rings Marina's doorbell. Marina asks for the password. Prunella tries "abracadabra." Marina informs her that she was actually thinking of "tzadzaki," from Henry Skreever and the Menacing Moussaka. But it's okay, she can come in. Prunella asks why she's not using her cane. Marina says that it's her house, so she kind of knows where things are. As she closes the door, we see a nice, establishing shot of her house. It's a nice, white, two-story house with blue framed windows. There's a fire hydrant across the street. A red van drives by. * * * Inside the house, we see Marina's mom. She's a brown haired rabbit-lady with a pony tail and pinkish-purple shirt. She sets out food for Marina, saying that the hot dogs are at six o'clock, the beans at 9:00 and sauerkraut at 3:00. Prunella wonders what it's all about. Marina explains that she imagines a clock-face so that she knows where everything is. She starts reaching for something. Prunella starts telling her where everything is, from the milk and mustard, to the salt and pepper. Marina thanks her, but says that she can manage. As they head upstairs, Marina asks what they should play first. She thinks cards would a good idea, as she's a total "gin-rummy freak." Remember that in Prunella's fantasy sequence earlier, Prunella asked Marina to play cards, only for Marina to tell her that she can't see them because she's blind. More shortly... Prunella's not really listening because she just noticed that part of a rug in front the stairs is furled back. Prunella: Marina, watch out! Marina: What, what? Prunella: The corner of the rug was turned back. You could have tripped. Marina: Boy, by the way you reacted, I thought the house was on fire or something. Upstairs, they play cards. Prunella never knew they had Braille cards. She annoys Marina by calling out her card number. Marina asks her not to, but Prunella says that she was just saving her the trouble. Then she starts rambling on again, asking if they have Braille checkers, or jacks. Prunella's not really listening because she just noticed that part of a rug in front the stairs is furled back. Prunella: Marina, watch out! Marina: What, what? Prunella: The corner of the rug was turned back. You could have tripped. Marina: Boy, by the way you reacted, I thought the house was on fire or something. Upstairs, they play cards. Prunella never knew they had Braille cards. She annoys Marina by calling out her card number. Marina asks her not to, but Prunella says that she was just saving her the trouble. Then she starts rambling on again, asking if they have Braille checkers, or jacks. Prunella: What about dice? Marina: I guess you can feel the dots. Prunella continues, saying that Marina would probably be good at chess. Marina picks up a pillow and commands Prunella, "Wizard of Lakewood," to quit asking so many questions. They're about to get into one of their play-fights again, but then Marina slips on one of the cards on the floor. Prunella starts apologizing like crazy. Marina gets annoyed. She's fine. Hasn't Prunella ever fallen before? Prunella asks if she should get her Mom. This only makes things worse. Prunella tells her that the was only trying to help. Marina notes that she's been trying to help all evening and it's driving her crazy. Prunella suggests that if that's the case, perhaps she should just go home. Marina: Fine, if that's what you want, no one's forcing you to stay. *rolls eyes* Gee, I wonder what went wrong. * * * The playing cards tumble down as a scene-changer. * * * Prunella has indeed decided that going home would be the best choice. Marina shuts her front door. Prunella goes home. * * * Prunella's at home, in her bed. Buster knocks at the door. Prunella tells him to go away. Buster begs for her help. The test is tomorrow and he has to know what his fate is. He has a bag of candy with him. He asks her what's wrong. Prunella details her fight with Marina to him. Buster tells her that he hated when kids started treating him differently just because he has asthma. I can think of another time that Arthur's gang pissed off Buster in an attempt to comfort someone -- remember everyone helping Buster get over his lack of a father in'' [http://www.angelfire.com/ma2/ecdc/40801.htm ''#40801 - "1001 Dads"]?. Prunella: I can't just ignore the fact that she's blind. Buster understands, but perhaps she just doesn't have to make it such a big deal. Would she like it if someone was always fussing over her? Prunella admits that she wouldn't. She begins to walk out, but Buster demands that she tell him his fate. She walks over to her crystal ball and says that she sees studying all night and studying all day. He'll do fine. Buster thanks her and gives her his large bag of candy. * * * It's the next day, the opening day of the movie. Prunella and Marina are watching it. Marina's got headphones on and Prunella is sharing with her Buster's large bag of candy. Marina is listening to "Descriptive Video Service." (Or DVS) Descriptive Video Service is available for all Arthur broadcasts. It's a service available through SAP (Secondary Audio Programming, which is also used sometimes for programming in Spanish) which describes for blind-viewers what's happening on-screen. You can read more about it here. The scene Marina and Prunella are watching is a parody of the ending of the first Harry Potter movie. Henry Skreever says goodbye to "Haggis," a parody on the name of the character Hagrid in Harry Potter. * * * The movie's ended and Marina and Prunella are exiting the theater. Prunella's giving her critique of the movie. She says that the special effects were terrible. Marina says that Moldywort didn't look anything at all like what she'd imagined. Prunella asks how she knew. Marina answers that she could tell from the description on her headset. As they exit, Marina hands her headset to one of the theater-attendants. Walking home, Marina says that she thought the kid playing Henry was all wrong. Marina: I guess they just don't see him the way we do. The crosswalk light beeps. Marina and Prunella cross the street holding hands and that's (the end) Henry Skreever In #60301 - "Prunella Sees the Light" we learned the name of the fifth Henry Skreever book: Henry Skreever and the Cabbage of Mayhem, as well as the first one, Henry Skreever and the Brick of Wonders. In this episode, we also get the names of two other titles: Henry Skreever and the Potage of Villany, and Henry Skreever and the Menacing Moussaka. That leaves just one we don't know. Marina's Reaction to Prunella's Behavior When I first saw this episode, I felt that Marina's reaction to Prunella's behavior was out of chracter, in that it seemed to me like Marina is more level-headed and calmer than that. Watching it again, her actions really don't seem too out of line. She puts up with a lot from Prunella before finally breaking down. And it was Prunella's decision to leave, not Marina's. More About Marina I like Prunella episodes and I also like Marina, so I hope they choose to continue her character again next year. I was surprised when I first heard that they were bringing were back for this season, as I had figured she would be a one-shot guest-star. Category:Episodes Category:Warner, Home Video, 1999, VHS